The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Großer Bornhorster Lake

Recommended for every hiker who wants to relax!

"Borni" is either building a nest, breeding, or foraging. "Borni" is the stork of the Bornhorst meadows.

One of my favorite places because it's so peaceful and a beautiful nature reserve. I love it there any time of year...but when the mosquito population is very high, I flee this wonderful place. 🥰

The area east of the lake consists of permanent grassland typical of (old) marshland, extends over five kilometers to the east, and is largely protected as the Bornhorster Huntewiesen (Bornhorst Hunte Meadows). To the west, just 150 meters from the lakeshore and then further beyond the motorway, the land rises to the Oldenburg Geest, so that Groß Bornhorst and Klein Bornhorst are already 12 to 15 meters above sea level. Northwest of the lake, on either side of the motorway, lie two forest areas totaling 10 hectares. In contrast to the Großer Bornhorster See, the Kleiner Bornhorster See has two (albeit small) islands. The larger island, approximately 2,000 m² in size, is located on the northern shore in a corner of the lake, while the tiny island on the southern shore is only about 100 m² in size. Both islands have dense tree cover.

The Kleiner Bornhorster See is located in the low-lying marshland within the "Oldenburg-Rasteder Geestrand" nature reserve. Great crested grebes and other waterfowl breed at the Kleiner Bornhorster See. The area is particularly notable for its high density of breeding pairs of nightingales. The NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) organizes ongoing monitoring of breeding and resting birds in the lake area.

The Kleiner Bornhorster See (Little Bornhorst Lake) covers 20 hectares and has a circumference of approximately two kilometers. It is one of the larger lakes in the Oldenburg urban area and the surrounding area. It is almost circular in shape and measures just under 500 meters north-south, with the east and west shores up to 600 meters apart. To the north, a small peninsula juts out into the lake, forming a kind of lake angle. The lake lies 0 meters above sea level. On the west shore, there is a sandy beach approximately 150 meters long and up to 40 meters wide, as well as numerous sunbathing areas. The Kleiner Bornhorster See is an official swimming lake monitored by the DLRG (German Lifesaving Association). 400 meters south of it lies the Grosser Bornhorster See, which is more than twice as large. The A29 federal highway runs between the Kleiner Bornhorster See and Groß Bornhorst or Etzhorn, just 200 meters from the west shore. The lake owes its existence to the expressway ring around Oldenburg: the soil taken from the lake was needed to build the ramp to the Hunte high bridge as well as the embankments of the A 293 and the northern bypass.

The Kleiner Bornhorster See is a gravel pit lake in the eastern part of Oldenburg (Oldenburg), not far from the border with the Wesermarsch district, which runs only about 500 meters northeast. However, it is already outside of Oldenburg's dense urban development. The lake is located near the small village of Groß Bornhorst and the Oldenburg district of Etzhorn, both west of the lake. The Hunte River flows three kilometers south of it.

Great bridge over the lake